IBM's research division has been a pioneer of semiconductor technology for at least the past 40 years. IBM was the first major computer maker to employ Integrated Circuit technology, in the 360 series. Unfortunately, IBM's microelectronics division, which now dominates its research, reported an income loss of US$943 million. IBM is shifting production to 300 mm wafers, and is the only company in the world currently producing copper chips with low-k and SOI technologies. They hope to be the first ones to produce 90 nm devices. IBM's CFO said that he hopes to see “significant improvement” during the second half of this year. IBM's research continues to be groundbreaking (they are doing excellent work on nanotechnology). One can only hope that IBM doesn't decide to destroy or dismantle its long-term research capabilities.

USER COMMENTS 9 comment(s)

yea…(1:59pm EST Thu Jul 18 2002)IBM's R&D dept has been top notch for quite a while… i hope they keep it that way… - by next362″

What have they invented?(3:27pm EST Thu Jul 18 2002)I don't know anything about what IBM's R&D researches, so I just wanted to know what products they have came out with in the last 5 years. - by RPGMan

apart from just microprocessor advances?(4:59pm EST Thu Jul 18 2002)as it says above they are pioneers of low-k and SOI they were the first chip manufacturer to have copper connects (real ones at that unlike the coppermine), they have been quite successful reciently with chip design… with the power3 and power4 chips, they were the 3rd party in the Apple-MOT-IBM collective that layed out the PowerPC design (that should be the 1st party). theres alot more but my brain is fried after a long day… anyone else want to add to that? - by next362″

RPG man..(12:16am EST Fri Jul 19 2002)Many IBM advances.

Giant MR heads for harddrives came from IBM, now the dominante technology.

IBM fabs are the best there is, they can go toe to toe with Intel in that respect. IBM only SOI and Copper and 300 mm and .13 micron fabs that exist.

Power4 chips used in servers CRUSH anything else out there – the benchmarks on Power4 are almost double the next best chip (The 21264 Alphas) The Power4 BTW won Microprocessor Reports Chip of the Year award.

IBM at +/- $80 billion a year is, revenue wise, bigger than MicroSoft and Intel COMBINED.

IBM still dominates the “big iron”

- by White Waaaaabit

IBM(6:48am EST Fri Jul 19 2002)IBM also pioneered SiGe which is about to set the silicon industry on fire, heloping bring about wireless interconnect, more device portability, lower power consumption, higher speed devices etc. - by UKRoo

Almost $1B in losses in 1 quarter?(10:40pm EST Sun Jul 21 2002)If IBM's fabs were the best out there, they wouldn't lose $900M+ in one quarter. That's truley pathetic performance from a business unit.In fact, they lost almost as much as their total revenue! IBM has been laying off thousands and closing production facilities right and left. - by Sad

IBM still has ground.(2:46am EST Tue Jul 23 2002)My mom worked there and she accompanied many of IBM's past messes. Be sure the next 10 years won't be IBM's last hour. - by nwant+hammerbenchees